Gilford writes...

Hi Greg,

I am just writing to say the gargoyles was and still is one of my favourite childhood shows. The twists with fox being part magic and owen was puck the whole time?!! I was utterly surprised!! Now i get how Xanatos knows some things that are unnatural.

Another thing, in the episode upgrade, i noticed that fox and Xanatos were playing a game of chess with the pack and the gargoyles as pieces whilst the pack and the gargoyles were fighting each other at the same time. That cannot be a coincidence. i believe they were playing their lives as if it was a game to them and chess seems to be a perfect way to illustrate the point.

Genius

Anonymous writes...

What is David Xanatos's favorite literary genre?

Tyler Reznik writes...

Hello yet again, Mr. Weisman. Today, I'd like to talk about Gargoyles, particularly David Xanatos.

In relation to Xanatos' desire for immortality, I've noticed that, on two seperate occasions, an older, wiser man managed to pierce David's figurative armour through fairly simple methods (the methods themselves being simple, rather than the effect, meaning, or characters being so).

First, Petros, David's father, succeeded in giving his son pause through a few well-chosen words and "a simple American penny". Then, in "The Price", Hudson is able to discern and point out Xanatos' fear of growing old and dying (here, he cracks Xanatos' cool demeanor, but doesn't quite break it), and by the end of the episode, he had managed to escape Xanatos alive, simultaneously posing a question that, like Petros with the penny, gave David pause, and, I think, something to ponder.

Now, my point is that both of the aforementioned characters were, as I said, older and wiser than Xanatos, which makes me think (perhaps incorrectly; you'd know better than I would) that one of Xanatos' flaws is his inability to truly appreciate the values of age and experience, which ties in to his desire to be immortal.

However much he denied it to Hudson, Xanatos IS terrified of growing old and dying. It's something unknowable, uncontrollable, to a point, unpredictable (who knows when and how they're going to die?), and, barring a means of becoming immortal, it's unavoidable. The value of age and experience, as well as the wisdom that comes from it, is something that he, quite simply, does NOT want to learn firsthand. In fact, he even brushes off Hudson's descriptions of the downside to immortality, remarking that death and old age have a price, one too steep for him to pay. It is this unwillingness to accept his own mortality that makes Xanatos vulnerable to the metaphorical defeats he received from Petros and Hudson. The fear of mortality he possesses makes him blind to the wisdom that only comes from the passage, and indeed, the ravages (of which Hudson is all too aware) of time.

1) Do you agree with my assessment of this aspect of Xanatos' personality?

2) Is it possible that as he grows older, Xanatos will learn to appreciate the wisdom that accompanies age?

Whether you agree with my perspective or not, thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my post, and have a good day, sir.

Luna writes...

I have some questios regarding Lex Luthor.

Do you think he would get along with Xanatos?
Is He as smart as Xanatos?
Would David Xanatos be a member of the light if he lived in earth 16?

I know it is never going happen becuase one is from DC and one is from Disney/Marvel. But I would love to see the two of them interacting.

How would you do an episode with Lex and Xanatos?.(I don't consider this one a spoiler or an original idea becuase copyright will never allow this to ever happen).

thank you!

Greg Bishansky writes...

1. Did Xanatos know Demona's name before she revealed it to Goliath?
2. For that matter, while we know Xanatos regarded the gargoyles with benign amusement and interest, and you've said before that he always rather liked Goliath as a person... what did he think of Demona? On the one hand, while we know he felt she had her uses, on the other hand there she was talking about the genocide of humanity right in front of him. I guess I feel for being as intelligent as he was, and knowing about how much she despised humans, he put a lot of blind faith into her... he didn't even have the page with the Stone By Night spell translated prior to putting her on the air. That was a mistake far larger than the creation of Thailog.

Matthew writes...

When exactly did Owen reveal himself as Puck to Xanatos?

Tymiko writes...

1. Although he's amoral and generally has a commitment to self-preservation, why did Puck return to help Xanatos against Oberon "against [his] better judgement"?

Was it simply because he was impressed by Xanatos' choice to have him serve him for life instead of being granter a wish? I considered this, but then I thought it unlikely that Owen would have left Xanatos in the first place instead of returning after some consideration to stand at David's side.

2. Why DID David Xanatos choose Puck as a life-long servant instead of a wish? Wasn't he after immortality?

Battle Beast writes...

I was having a religeous debate at work today with a staunch Christian. Long story short, she got to "Remember David Versus Goliath?" and I said to her, "Hold it. I know full well about them but the only Goliath I care about is eight feet tall and lavender."

And then it hit me: David V. Golaith. I never, ever thought of that connection before... so I check the Archive and sure enough I was right. It was intention, you said.

I get their relationship now on a different level... Very clever! :)

Andre writes...

Hey man, been a big fan of Gargoyles since my early childhood days, and have been following your work from Spectacular Spider-Man to Young Justice.

My question refers to the primary antagonist of the Gargoyle universe, David Xanatos. What was the inspiration for you to create such a complex gray villain? Also, where'd the name come from for Xanatos too?

Richard Jackson writes...

In "Metamorphosis", Sevarius and Xanatos were pretending to be at odds after the former had injected Derek/Talon with the mutate serum. As part of the performance, Sevarius asked Xanatos if he had some junk bonds to sell.

Is Xanatos the Michael Milken of the Gargoyles Universe? I know he's a savvy businessman, but also a Wall Street trader?